Relics of the Past
by Paynis
Summary: All his life, even if he never knew it yet, Issei had always wanted to travel. Now he had the chance to do so. Companion to my other story, 'Pasts best forgotten.'
1. Steel spears

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belong to Ichiei Ishibumi

**A.N.** Because of the nature of this story, I'm going to use Issei's name as it is, instead of using any of his pseudonyms that he uses during his travels. Of course, when he gives a name, the people will use that to refer to him. But I will continue to refer to Issei in third person during the narrations.

**Chapter 1: The Hunt. Ireland**

* * *

Issei sighed happily as he sneaked out the boat, jumping from it's ledge, finally glad to be back on solid land. It wasn't that he hated sea travel. It's just, it felt kind of cramped to be in a ship and not have a cabin. Though considering he was a stowaway that entered the boat undetected, it was bound to be an uncomfortable experience.

He breathed in, taking in the sights of the town, doing his best to appear inconspicuous and not at all like he was a stowaway. Once he made sure that none of the authorities were going to catch him, he nodded and stepped into the town. He didn't really get too far when he saw something strange.

It was a woman, a beautiful one at that, sitting on the edge of the port, leg dangling into the cool, blue waters below.

She was also crying, her head in her hands and sobs that were unusually loud coming from her. Sure a girl crying was nothing unusual, but the fact that no one seems to notice her, some even going as far as circling around her was a little weird.

Issei began to choose. _'Help a magical crying girl in need or just ignore her?'_

No brainer.

Issei walked over to the girl and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello miss? Is something wrong?" He said that in the most gentle voice he can.

The girl looked up, eyes swollen from tears. "Yes. There is." She promptly turned back to her hands, weeping still audible.

"Is there something I can do to help?"

"No. I'm crying because someone is going to die."

Well fuck. That wasn't suspicious at all. Despite his apprehension, Issei still decided to go on.

"And who would that be?"

"You." The girl turned from a woman to a monster in a heartbeat, lunging at Issei, arms outstretched, claws extended, looking to rip apart his throat.

Issei simply let himself fall back, and with his back against the ground, used his feet to push against the monster's stomach.

The girl/monster/whatever-the-fuck-that-is soared through the air for several seconds, before crashing back against the ground. When it managed to right itself, she looked pissed.

With a wail that no one but Issei seemed to hear, the monster darted towards him on all fours, looking distinctly feral as it did so.

Issei grabbed her arms and spun around, switching their places easily.

"What are you?" Issei asked, curious. He was new to Ireland and he didn't exactly know a lot of folklore there, Cu Chulain aside. And he only knew of that particular legend because he had met his ancestor.

Instead of answering, the she-beast let out a roar of anger and threw herself at him, mouth bared in a snarl. How rude.

With an ease borne of experience, he ducked under the left arm that was aimed at his eyes, twisted around the right claw that aimed to disembowel him, and grabbed her by the closest appendage to him. With a smooth motion, Issei kicked her feet, knocking her off-balance and, while she was still in the air, put the arm he was still holding into a lock.

"Still not going to answer?" Okay, he was being cheeky and he knew it, but Issei felt a little justified in doing that. He had tried to help someone and all he got was a claw looking to rip his throat out. Whatever happened to 'love your neighbors' and all that?

"No? Well then, you leave me no choice." Issei's hands glowed red and in a flash, the monster below him turned into an ice sculpture.

"There." He nodded, satisfied at his handiwork. Now he only had one problem left.

"Where am I going to put you?"

**[You're an idiot.]**

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After that fiasco, Issei was content to explore the country, going to places like Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the Cliffs of Moher and the Blarney Castle. He went to a hotel where he spent the money he had earned working on a room for one. It wasn't until one week after he had encountered the supernatural, now October 31st, that things truly turned even weirder.

"Where can I find good food that's also cheap?" Issei mused outloud, bringing out his wallet to see the only money available was the ones an old man had insisted on giving him after he helped him load his things into a moving truck.

After a few moments of looking around, he found a humble cafe in the near the outskirts of town. It was small, and quaint yet had a homely feel to it. Issei ordered a simple meal of meat and soda and was in the middle of eating it when he heard something unusual.

_Booooooooooooommmmm!_

It was a deep rumbling sound, like those war horns from old.

_'Ddraig, did you hear that?' _Issei stood up, leaving the payment for his meal and, after thanking the staff, walked out into the streets. It was now nearly fully dark, the only light provided by the moon and the distant lights from the festival at the center of town. He investigated where the sound came from and determined that it came from the forests. Destination in mind, he set off.

**_[Yes I did partner.]_**

_'Do you know what that was?'_ Issei was on the edge of the city, where the walls of the city kept out the trees in the forest.

_Boooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm!_

There it was again. This time though it was much louder, and instead of fading into silence, seemed to herald something else. The ground seemed to be shaking too, announcing that what was approaching was either large or in a group.

Then, there it was.

_Bark Bark!_

The barking of dogs, and from the sound of it, it wasn't just a single one. Whatever it was, it was approaching his location and fast.

_Boooooooommmmmmmmmmmm_

Issei thought. _'Hunters?'_

Just as the thought popped into mind, something erupted from out of the treeline.

_'It was a pig.' _Was Issei's first thought, but to call it a pig wasn't really accurate.

It was huge, almost fifteen feet tall and it's fur was colored in a dark, rust-like cover. It's tusks were huge, bigger than Issei was tall and was dripping a pale liquid that Issei didn't want anywhere near him. It was also charging straight at him.

With a strangled cry, Issei jumped to the side, just barely dodging the huge length of the boar, avoiding those hooves that could probably flatten him like a pancake. Issei watched almost detachedly as the boar trampled the wall of the town, crushing it into rubble.

_'What the hell is a pig doing here!?' _Issei really wanted to know.

Issei just barely stood up, brushing the dust of his pants when the thundering of hooves announced something once again.

_'Oh come on!' _Issei found out that his thought was correct. They were hunters.

A pack of snow-white hounds with red ears charged past Issei, chasing the boar still visible in the distance. Behind those were horses. A lot of horses.

Some of them were carrying hunters in their backs, some of them only carrying weapons. The hunters themselves were as varied as their mounts, ranging from barely-clothed to looking like they were wearing armor from the middle ages. Some of them looked human enough, some... weren't. They ranged from having hairy snouts sprouting from their faces, some had horns on the top of their heads, and Issei wasn't sure, but it looked like one of them was a dolphin.

But Issei wasn't focused on them though. No, what caught his attention was what was obviously the leader of the hunt. He was tall, even seated on his horse, Issei could see it. Muscles that looked like they were carved from stone and a black iron spear held in his right arm. The man made eye-contact with Issei, and smiled. He brought up the hunting horn slung on his back and blew on it.

_Join us, hunt, ride, **come.**_

Before Issei knew it, his body had already responded. He swung his arm out and caught an oncoming horse on it's flank and threw himself on it, riding beside the Huntsman. Beside him, Issei felt his eyes approvingly observing him. Then the moment passed and the hunt began in earnest.

He took a spear from a riderless horse beside him and felt his blood sing, enjoying the thrill of the hunt.

They chased the boar through the town, passing through empty streets, causing destruction as they went. Then, the boar turned and they were at the heart of the festival.

The middle of town was beautiful, with the people all dressed up in elaborate costumes and enjoying the night.

Weirdly enough, instead of fear and panic at the sight of the massive boar running straight through the middle of town, they instead seemed to welcome it, cries of _'The Hunt!'_ became prevalent through the night. Issei thought for a moment on why they didn't run away and came to the came to the conclusion that they couldn't see them.

What he didn't know was that the force which usually hid the supernatural from mortal eyes were faded for the night.

They were nearing the outskirts when the boar changed direction, straight out the gates of the south side of the city and into the forest. The Hunt followed it, the dogs nipping at the heels of their prey.

The forest was tricky to navigate, though thankfully, the boar was easy to follow considering the massive damage it caused. The edge of the forest was now visible, the trees thinning out and Issei could see the beautiful sight of a cliff overlooking the ocean where the reflection of the stars were twinkling when the boar changed direction, taking a sharp turn to the right.

It continued like that for nearly two hours. The boar running far in front of them, the dogs weakening it ant the riders looking for an opportunity to end the night. The moon was nearly hidden by the mountains of the horizon by then.

Issei was tired. This was the longest he had ever ridden on a horse. That was when he gained a flash of inspiration. His hands were covered with a flash of flames and his gloves formed on them. With a competitiveness he never knew he had, Issei let one of the Boosted Gears seals fade

**[Transfer!]**

He transferred his power to his ride and immediately, it ran faster, outstripping all others and leaving them in the dust except for one other. He was the one that caught Issei's attention, and the one that finally brought him to join the hunt.

He was smiling at Issei, enjoyment visible on his face.

_Reeeeeeeet!_

They both turned at the same time where they saw the boar finally stagger and then slow down. Immediately, the dogs pounced, weakening the boar before it threw them off it.

They were in a clearing by then. A circular area 40 meters wide where trees did not touch it.

Issei subconsciously dismounted from the horse, still carrying the spear he held for over three hours and taking another one strapped to it's saddle, and beside him, he could see his companion doing the same. They circled the boar, who was trying to keep the two in it's line of vision.

_Thud Thud Thud Thud!_

Issei saw that the hunters caught up to them, but instead of helping the two, they were merely sitting back in the treeline, watching them.

_REEEEEEEEEETTTTTT!_

Impatiently, the boar charged at what it could perceive to be the weaker target.

_'Dammit.'_

Issei rolled to the side coming up in a crouch, holding out the spear to graze the side of the enormous boar. The monster roared in rage, not willing to take anymore damage. Dimly, Issei could see that his riding companion was watching him, content to see just what he would do in this situation.

That was fine. Issei was more than used to doing difficult things by his lonesome.

The boar turned towards him now, eyes still angry but much more intelligent, wary now that it had been wounded by what he had labelled as a lesser threat. Still, for all it's intelligence, it was just still a boar, drunk with pain and rage.

It thundered towards Issei, the very ground rumbling as it did.

Issei, with no way to stop doing something as big as that, did the only thing he could.

He threw one of the spears he held at it.

The spear he held was a boar spear, heavy and designed to be braced against the ground, not to be thrown like a javelin.

Still, his aim was true, piercing it's right eye, the haft embedding half it's length in the boar's skull.

Still, the monster was hardier that expected and Issei was a half-second too slow to dodge, picking up a gash in his side for his trouble.

He turned around and saw that the boar had at some point turned to glare at him, both of them separated by half the length of the clearing.

In the silence, Issei had realized one thing.

Someone was going to die. By the end of the night, blood will have been spilled, whether it be the hunter or the prey, only they would know. And Issei was sure as hell not going to let himself be killed.

So when the boar roared, charging towards him, he had been ready.

He crouched down, bracing the spear against the ground, watching the huge monster approach quickly with determined eyes.

At the the last second, right when boar met steel, he made his move.

**[Transfer!]**

He reinforced the spear, making it so that it was far, far harder than it would have been otherwise.

_Crack._

Even then, when the wood was hard as steel and the spearhead took on the consistency of diamond, it began to bend. The pressure the boar was bearing down on him was immense.

_Crack!_

Issei watched as the spear began to break, cracks spreading out from the spearhead to the base. He gritted his teeth. Like hell he was going to die!

With a roar, Issei thrust the spear with all the power his arms could give. The skin of the boar was ripped apart, teared apart by the sharp steel. It broke through the skull of the beast, cracked by the power of the blow. The spear sunk into the boar's head, the haft of the spear embedded into it until Issei's hands. Beside it, he could see the other spear he threw in it's a _squelch_, he pulled them out, a small amount of blood spraying out as he did so.

With a groan, he sunk to the ground, and he saw that the hunter's were all dismounted, approaching him with something akin to awe.

The leader of them approached.

"Good Hunt."

He was a large man, muscles evident in his form. His hair was black and reached his shoulders and his eyes were a startling blue. He was also the only one among them who looked completely human.

"Thanks. Could have appreciated some help though." Issei didn't care that what he was speaking to was probably a deity or something. Right now, what he wanted to do was rest.

Surprisingly, the man chuckled, looking entirely too amused by this. "You were holding your own against the Beast of Dean. Not many could have done that feat, especially a mortal such as yourself."

"Which reminds me." He held up the spears, one of which was nearly broken, and offered it to the man in front of him. "These belong to those horses there. Can you give it to their owners."

He smiled and shook his head. "No. You have used them with honor befitting a true Hunter. It is yours to keep now." He reached out and closed Issei's hands around the spears.

"Oh yeah. How come the mortals back then didn't freak out? I mean, I'm pretty sure huge boars are not the normal in the world."

"No they're not." The man agreed. "But then again, this is All Hallows Eve. Isn't this the night where the supernatural can interact with the normal world without consequences? This night, the Mist that shields us from mortal eyes are lowered, making them see us for what we are."

_'The Mist?'_

"What weapon are these anyway? I've never seen anything like it before." Issei said, holding up the weapon to inspect it critically. Now that he could see it clearly, the spear was pitch black, and radiated a sense of... divinity.

"Consecrated Steel. One of the only metals that can harm the supernatural." He looked up and Issei was startled to note that the sun was actually rising up. "Well then warrior, I hope that we meet again. Remember, you are always welcome to join the hunt." He mounted his horse, and began to ride. But Issei had one last question to ask.

"What is your name?"

He turned and smiled.

"Nodens. I am called Nodens." The Hunt began to leave, disappearing into the sunrise where they faded once they touched it's light.

Issei looked down at the two spears he held in his hand.

"Nodens... huh?

It wasn't until weeks later that Issei would realize that he just talked with the Celtic deity of healing, the sea, hunting and dogs.

**[That was a pretty wild night, huh partner?]**

"Yeah. Yeah it was."

Standing up, Issei looked around at the clearing.

"How the hell am I going to get back to town?"

* * *

**A.N.**

**Hey. **

**T****his work of mine is a side story of my other work 'Pasts best forgotten'**

**Just to clear things up, this is what happened to Issei during his travels two years ago. To be perfectly honest, this was just a way for me to write a story without thinking of the upcoming chapter for the aforementioned work. Seriously, I'm already thinking of plotpoints involving Rivezim, Chaos Brigade, the Norse, and other shit, but I can't even think of the next chapter of Pasts best forgotten. Seriously.**

******This story was inspired by Mac Ceallach's story, Son of the Western Sea, who also made Hogyuko ex Machina. It's a good read, incorporating Percy Jackson elements into other legends as well.**

******_TING! _  
**

******Now that's an idea. **

******Hyoudou Issei and the Battle of the Labyrinth! **

******(No, that's not foreshadowing****_. _Don't be silly.)_  
_**

**Now moving on to the more depressing topics.**

**Exams. Oh dear God.**

**It's quarterly exams week and I'm just sitting here, writing stories. Eh, I'll live. But I think that I may have no time to write this week or the next (*cough* Bullshit *cough) because this Sunday is also College Entrance Exams. Unfortunately, I'm going to study my ass off (HAHAHAHA!) to make sure that I have, you know, a good future.**

**Good future= Good Jobs**

**Good Jobs= Money**

**Money= Food and games and all that.**

**Food and games and all that= An early grave.**

**Keep your finger's crossed.**

**P.S.**

**Can any of you post about what you think about this side story thing? Like it, hate it, indifferent? Do you think that I should continue this?**

**P.P.S.**

**To those that say yes, where do you want Issei to go next? England, Italy, Spain, Cambodia, Philippines? Leave a comment for your thoughts.**

**To those that say no... I don't really know what to say.**


	2. A dagger, a life debt and a pen pal

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belong to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**Chapter 2: A vacation in Italy.**

"Ddraig."

**[Yeah partner?]**

"How did I manage to get myself in this mess?" Issei asked as he ducked underneath the claw that aimed to take his head, mindful of the puddles of poison dotting the grounds.

**[I'm not really sure. You seem to have a talent in getting into weird situations, don't you?]**

"Yeah. I unfortunately do." He said. Issei thought hard on just HOW he managed to turn what was supposed to be a relaxing trip to Italy into him taking on a student and then a life or death hunt of a basilisk on top of Mount Etna.

He was pretty sure that it started the moment he touched the ground of the country.

* * *

()()()()()()()()(2 weeks ago)()()()()()()()()()()()()

* * *

Issei stood up from his seat, stretching as he did so. It had been a long flight from Alaska to Italy, and he had been seated for most of the trip. Grabbing his bag from the overhead compartment, he walked down the aisle and down into the walkway connecting the plane to the airport. He hadn't brought anything with him except for the backpack that was strapped to his back. He didn't need anything else, considering that the bag was enchanted to have a lot more space on the inside, almost like hammer space.

The inspection at the gates was very strict, looking for everywhere where weapons and things that might be used as one might be concealed.

"Where are your?" Issei handed over the passport he had in his bag to the female inspector in front of him.

"What's your name?" She asked as she began to look for any discrepancies that may be found on the document he had given.

"John Galt." He answered smoothly, stating his pseudonym he had chosen for himself.

She stared at him suspiciously, looking back and forth between his face and his passport. "You don't look like you're seventeen years old."

"I had a late puberty." Issei replied with the straightest face he could muster. He was actually 14 years old, but they no one needed to know that.

"I see. Then please sign here." She indicated at the mechanical pen that searched that database if the signature really did match.

He did as he was told and she saw that it was a match. Of course it was. The information written there might be fake, but he got the passport from a legal source.

Finding nothing wrong with anything, the inspector had (Reluctantly) let him go after few Q and A's, mostly about his age and family. He had bullshitted his answers to the best of his ability and it was enough.

Still, as he walked through the airport, he couldn't help but observe just how many magicians seemed to be roaming around the place. Oh sure, they made an effort to hide their signatures, but to Issei's advanced senses, it was easy to pick up on it.

"Hello sir, would you like to avail our travel guide? It contains a taxi, a tour guide, and a 3 day 2 night stay at the nearby hotel for only 249 euros." The sharply-dressed businessman approached him, holding out a flyer to Issei that advertised their services.

He shook his head with a polite smile, saying in accent-less Italian . "Sorry, but I've got plans already." The man drew back respectfully, no doubt in search of people he could rope into accepting their deals.

He stepped through the doorways and out to the roads. He grinned and held up his hand to hail a taxi.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei sat down on the bed, fiddling away at the laptop on top of the desk. He had been staying at that particular hotel for three days now.

"Hmmmm, what does one do when they are in someplace like Italy? I mean, I've seen most of the sights anyway." He mused out loud, connecting to the internet in order to see what the country had to offer. He had already been to the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Peter's Basilica and the Florence Cathedral. Right now, he was staying in a hotel in Sicily.

After a few hours alone, Issei finally got board of the Internet.

"AHH! Dammit, I'm bored. I should just go out, maybe I could even meet a nice girl. I mean, at least one of them might be interested right?" He grinned at the thought, placing his laptop at the top of his bed and dressed up in a red shirt, jeans, and a black hoodie over it. Slipping his walking shoes on, he stepped out of the door and out the hotel.

He began to explore the streets of Sicily, looking around as he found quite a bit of couples were in there.

He stopped at the front of one particular building.

"Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas." Issei read the plaque in front out loud. He shrugged before going up the entrance to look. He paid the front desk the entrance fee and walked through the hallways into the displays.

He walked through the arc with the words 'Underwater Treasures' displayed above it.

Issei walked over and saw a rather large collection of anchors, lamps, jugs, and cups, all of them inscribed with a language he couldn't read, but were said to be either Phoenician or Roman.

At the Phoenician section, he saw two large sarcophagi, tilted to show the faces of the bodies they contain.

He saw sculptures of gods and deities on stone.

"Hey Ddraig."

**[Yeah Partner?]**

"All of those gods, all the legends and myths are true right?" He asked as he moved closer to inspect the stone tablets that came up to his waist in height.

**[Well, not all of them. But yes, most of the big legends and religions are usually based on reality.]**

"Huh, well good to know."

After that, he went outside to look for a restaurant that he could eat at.

'This was a rather mundane week.' He thought, placing down the menu at his table.

**[It certainly is Partner.]**

'I mean, no monster attacks, no crazy guys challenging me, not even a tiny little ghost following me around, nothing.' He took a sip of water, distracting himself from the fact that he was sitting alone in a restaurant in Italy.

**[I noticed.]**

Issei gently set down the glass on the table.

'WHY!? The suspense is killing me! Things never work out for me, never! Dammit, now I'm scared because whatever's going to happen it's going to be big!' Issei thought, his paranoia making him want to slam his head on a hard surface. As it was, he just hung his head down, staring at his navel, contemplating at his situation.

"John Galt?" A female voice said, snapping him out of his funk.

Issei looked up to see a girl that was shorter than him who tried to look strict but ended up just looking plain cute, dressed in a pinstriped blue suit with black hair that fell down to her shoulders and grey eyes. She was also very pale, and looked to be a little younger than him, maybe 12 or 13 years old. She stood over Issei's table, tapping her foot impatiently. Hesitantly, he said.

"Yes?"

She nodded, satisfied, before pulling up the chair in front of him and sitting on it.

Issei sweatdropped. She didn't even ask for permission.

"Um, I'm sorry but who are you?" He started the conversation politely, trying not to offend his unexpected guest. She didn't even bat an eyelid, which was good or bad, depending on the situation.

"My name is Arianna Bianchi." She went back to her observation of Issei.

Well that was no help at all. Trying again, Issei decided to speak up.

"Um, w-why exactly are you here? I mean, I don't really know you, and I don't think I've done anything to warrant being investigated upon by a magician's group." Yes, he could feel it, he would be blind not to. Her magic energy was enormous, more than the average magician had, much more. It was amazing actually, that a girl younger than him had almost five times his reserves.

"The organization I am working for has sensed your power from the moment you came in this land. You may have tries to hide it, but you cannot deny that you are part of the supernatural. Your mere presence alone gives you away." She declared, leaning back on her chair to coolly gaze at him. It might have intimidated Issei (HAH!) if she had been older or more experienced. As it was, she achieved nothing other than looking like a petulant child that was angry at her parents. It was cute actually. "So I ask, what group are you from and what is your purpose in going here, in our territory?"

Okay, the supernatural part he couldn't really hide even from a child, and his presence was instinctual, something he couldn't hide, but magic? Yeah, sorry to break it to her, but he simply had no talent in that field whatsoever.

Issei sighed. "Can't a guy just go to Italy for a road trip? I mean, this place is one of the largest tourist spots in the world, so you must have your share of magicians looking to relax here right? I mean, that's what I'm here for." He shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No, no they don't. We have been observing you for the past week John. You have exhibited suspicious behavior. You have been going to places of importance. Saint Peter's Basilica and the Florence Cathedral, both of these are the headquarters of two of the biggest magic cabals in the country. I want to know, what are you planning to do?" She said, trying to make her voice serious and failing miserably.

Oy vey.

Issei tried to clear up any misunderstandings. "Did your superiors order you to do this? I mean, I would be happy to talk to them. I don't really want trouble during my first trip here in Italy." He reasoned out.

She flinched, and bowed her head, beginning to twiddle her thumbs. "W-well, the superiors are very busy people and-" She began to laugh nervously, cold sweat pouring down the back of her neck.

It was Issei's turn to narrow his eyes. "In fact, if you truly were asked to simply observe me, then they should have told you not to make contact right? Contact makes the target aware of what's going on, giving them the chance to throw their observers off their trail. A real tracker should know that. They would have been as inconspicuous as possible and not even give the target any indication that they were being followed."

Each of his observations were followed by a stiffening of the shoulders before sinking down even lower.

Issei nodded and finally concluded. "You're not even a real magician yet, are you? You're just someone who wanted to become one and decided to give a master proof that you're ready and decided to give him me."

She suddenly slammed her head on the table, rattling the silverware on top. "Ugh! You're right. I'm pathetic, I can't even do **THAT **properly. The exams are next week I don't even have a teacher yet. Maybe I should just give up as a magician." She raised her head to look up at him with teary eyes, her forehead now having a red mark. **  
**

Issei hurriedly waved his arms. "No NO! It's not that! You're not just used to it is all. You should just practice hard and maybe you'll get the hang of it."

She just shook her head. "I'm never going to be a magician!" She wailed, slamming her head on the table again.

Uncomfortable with her hurting herself, as well as the stares they were receiving, he tried to console her. "Uhh, tell you what. I have a few books in my room about magic. It's just for beginners and it just teaches the basics but if you want you could have it." Issei said, hoping to calm her down with the offer of books.

She shot up instantly and grabbed his hands which were laid at the table. The joy in her eyes were palpable. "Really? Really really!?" At his shaky nod, she continued. "You swear? Then come back here tomorrow, promise it!" She shouted at him, alarming most of the patrons in the restaurant.

Issei, pressured by her shouting and the judging stares of the people in the restaurant shouted. "Yes I swear I swear! Now please let me go, people are staring." She blushed in embarrassment, sitting back down in her chair, trying to make herself as small as possible.

A voice interrupted them.

"Ah, your food is ready." The waitress came by, bringing Issei's order to him.

"Thank you." Issei said as she began to set the table for him.

He picked up his spoon and fork when he saw Arianna staring avidly at his plate. Slowly, he asked the now-drooling girl. "Do you want some?"

She nodded eagerly, not letting her eyes leave the food.

Sighing internally, he pushed his plate to her before asking for another server to order something else.

Oohh, the pasta here looked delicious.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei sat on the fountain in front of the restaurant he had eaten at yesterday. After the meal, the girl had just got up, thanked him profusely for the food, and left without saying anything else. Strange girl.

However, for all of her eccentricity, he felt something from her, and Issei just knew that she would go to great heights when given the tools that allowed her to do so.

Now here he was, staring at his watch as he waited for her to make her appearance. Since they didn't really managed to set a time where they would meet, Issei just decided to sit there at 10 in the morning. It's been three hours since then and he was honestly getting bored. As he was contemplating on getting something to drink, he heard the rapid *clap clap* of shoes on stone and turned to see that the source was just the girl he was waiting for, running towards him in a frenzy.

She stopped in front of him, putting her hands on her knees, panting hard.

"Hey Arianna." He raised his arm in greeting.

"Hah hah, he-hello, hah, John." She said, finally straightening up. She breathed in, and exhaled. "So, what are we going to do?" Issei just smiled and motioned for her to follow him.

Confused, she nevertheless did as she asked, following him to where he planned to take her.

"So what are we going to do? Are you going to teach me how to control fire? Or water? Ohhh! What about lightning? That would be so cool to use!" She said, giddy with the thought of actually learning magic.

"You'll see." Issei said mischievously, chuckling at the thought of her expression when she found out what he was planning to teach her.

Along the way, Arianna babbled on quite a bit. About what she was going to do when she became a master, just who she was going to beat and show her superiority to. Issei just sweatdropped through the whole thing.

Finally, they arrived at the place where he had been hoping to instruct her on the art of magic.

"We're here." He announced. Arianna shut up almost immediately, looking for the place where they would meet.

"Is this it?"

"Yeah, this is it." He confirmed. He had brought her to his hotel.

"Why here?" She asked as they stepped through the door.

"It's where I keep most of my books, and it's more comfortable to learn magic in an air conditioned room than say, a forest, wouldn't you agree?" He said as they began to wait for the elevator to bring them to his floor.

DING!

They headed straight for his room, Issei placing the card the hotel had given him into the slot.

Click!

They stepped through the door, Arianna closing the door behind her as she did so.

Issei grabbed his bag that was sitting on the bed and began to open it, looking for the books he had received from that magician in England. Now THAT was an unusual trip, even by his standards.

"Ah, there it is!" He said triumphantly before pulling out a magazine with a nude woman posing erotically on the cover. "AAHH!" He panicked, throwing the magazine under the bed.

"What was that?" Arianna asked, poking her head out from the bathroom where she was inspecting it.

"Never you mind that!" He sputtered. "And just, come here. How are you supposed to learn when you're more focused on looking at things than reading." He asked rhetorically. He began to pull out the appropriate books from his bag, stacking it at the bedside table.

"Ah right!" She said, skipping brightly to Issei, sitting right by his side.

Okay.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked.

"What **YOU **are going to do, is to read all this." He indicated, at the books. "And you are going to recreate the magic here with no more than the information you got from that."

"What? C'mon! I don't think that's how magicians learn!" But Issei shook his head.

"No. Actually, that's how true masters learn. They take an end result and do everything in their power in order to achieve that affect. That's how the great rise above others. They don't ask, they **do**. And I have no doubt in my mind that you will be a part of that someday. I believe that you have the potential to stand with those people. You just need the right push." He said it with such sincerity, with such surety, that Arianna was actually struck speechless.**  
**

Oh yes, sometimes she said so herself, but deep inside, she never truly believed it herself. She had kept up the facade, but she had no one to teach her, no family to help her, and nothing to her name. She was nothing but an orphan that was sensitive to the supernatural. And, oh god, was that tears in her eyes?

She reached up and wiped at her eyes, discovering that yes, they really were tears.

Issei opened the book he held and began to show her theories as well as the ins and outs of magic.

After reading and gently being prodded by Issei to the right direction, she had managed to progress to a previously unreached level.

She had managed to make a tongue of fire appear at her fingertips, making it run up and down, as well as jump between her fingers after just an hour of reading. For Arianna, one who had never managed to make so much as a spark of light appear until now, it was outstanding progress.

"Good job." Issei smiled, proud for her.

Arianna just nodded, too delighted at her progress in magic.

Before she had known it, she had already been reading that particular book for seven whole hours, curling up against Issei's side as he began to point out her mistakes and taught her how to correct them.

She barely managed to suppress her yawn, stretching as she did so. She felt a hand close around on hers, gently taking the book away from her.

"That's enough." He said, placing the confiscated object on the bedside table.

"Noooooooo. Just a bit mo- haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~" This time, she couldn't stop it and just let the yawn come out naturally.

"No. It's 10 o'clock already. A little girl like you should be sleeping at this time." Issei admonished the girl sitting beside him, who was now sleepily rubbing her eyes, valiantly trying to stay up.

"I'm not little. I'm 12 years old now." She whined. But honestly, she wasn't really protesting because she wanted to learn, though she certainly wanted that too. No, what she wanted was to be with Issei for a little bit longer.

"And that's not even a teenager. Honestly, you really should sleep. If you don't then you'll never grow up to be a big girl." He said.

"Bu- Haaaaaaaaaaaa~" She yawned again, her mouth opening wider than the previous one. "I-I want to stay here longer." She whispered, not aware of Issei's exceptional senses.

For Issei's part, he looked at her pityingly. She was most probably an orphan, and from the way she had clung to him, a total stranger, she probably never even felt the love of a family member.

"Then would you like to sleep here? It would certainly make learning tomorrow easier." He suggested, and knew he made the correct choice when he saw her eyes light up in both surprise and delight.

"YES!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Arianna gently stirred from her sleep. She was having such a good dream too. She had found someone who was willing to teach her. She had spent the entire day with him and had even managed to make fire! That was something she had never done before.

She hugged her pillow closer to her, snuggling deeper into the coziness provided by the comforter thrown over her.

Her eyes snapped open.

She didn't have a comforter in her house.

Faster than she had expected from herself, she untangled herself from the sheets and stood up on the bed. She rubbed her eyes. Nope, she was still in a huge, queen size bed that was bigger than the room the orphanage provided! But if that was true, then maybe-

The instant the thought crossed her mind, Arianna instantly shot forward, determined to find the one that she was with for the whole of yesterday.

"Hey Arianna." She found him in the kitchen, flipping over pancakes into a platewith a stack of them was placed to the side of the stove.

Immediately, Arianna felt tears blur her eyesight as she tackled him in a hug, crying out.

"You're real! You're real, You're real, You're real." She began to snuggle into his chest.

"Woah there! What's this all about?" Issei asked, turning off the stove to avoid any accidents from happening.

Arianna reluctantly pulled away to look him in the face. "You're real."

"Um, yeah. I think we already established that. Now come on, I made pancakes." He said, leading her to the dining table carrying the stack piled on the plate and placing it on top of the table.

Arianna sat uncertainly, staring between Issei and the mouthwatering breakfast he had made.

"What's wrong? Don't you like pancakes? I can have food brought up here if you like?" He asked, a fork over his mouth as he stared at her, concerned.

She shook her head immediately. "NO! It's just, is it really okay for me to eat this?" She uncertainly indicated at the plate in front of her.

"Of course you can! I didn't take you all the way here just to refuse you breakfast." He said.

That was all she needed. Almost quicker than the eye could see, her plate was suddenly piled high with the food Issei had cooked for them and began to devour it just as quickly.

"WOAH! Slow down! I can make more if you still want some!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei sighed as he leaned against his chair, idly sipping at his coffee as he did so.

He had been teaching his new student for a little over a week now and she has been growing exponentially. She had far outstripped most of his teachings at the third day and had started to start her own branch of magic by then, though for some reason, she still always asked Issei for his input on her work. By the seventh day, Arianna had managed to make her first magic circle all by herself without help from him. He smiled fondly as he remembered the radiant expression that refused to leave her face that day.

Issei's coffee grew cold as he remembered how Arianna had once managed to blow up a can that she was supposed to be turning into it's base components. Thankfully, they had been in a rather isolated area, so no one had seen her slip up. She had still pouted at him when he chuckled at her soot-covered face though. (He wasn't really one to laugh. He couldn't even manage the bare minimum of magic anyway. But it was funny, so sue him.)

He glanced at the clock at the center of the plaza. 11:45

Only a little more until the exam was over.

Last night, Arianna had told him that their exams for the magicians guild was today. That was the exam where people like Arianna, blessed with the ability to manipulate reality according to their will, was given free license to study and act as a true and recognized magician. When he had brought her to the appropriate place, she had been nervous and a little bit intimidated.

Issei had simply placed his hand on her head.

"You've studied hard. I have no doubt in my heart that you will pass this exam with flying colors. Now go, kick ass and take names." He told her, herding her to the entrance where some of the hopeful future-magicians were waiting.

"Where are you going?" She had asked, a little of her timidity sinking into her voice.

He had smiled down at her. "I'm staying by that cafe there." He pointed at the place. "And I'm not leaving until I see you. Now go or you might be late."

Arianna nodded at him and ran towards the gate where some people were now waving in their new recruits.

_Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!__Dong!_

The clock chimed twelve times. Right on schedule, the doors of the building opened and the exam-takers all walked out, some whooping exuberantly, some trudging along dejectedly. Issei privately shook his head at the sheer audacity of the mages at hiding a _building _in the middle of the plaza an layering it with enough magic that most people, even the magically sensitive ones, would pass it without even knowing of it's existence.

"I passed! I passed!" A voice cut through all the voice in the plaza, and Issei looked up with a smile at his student, running at him energetically. She stopped in front of Issei, beaming at him delightedly.

"Of course you did. I never expected anything less." He told her, a little amused as she quickly shook her head.

"Yes you did! But more than that, I was the best! The teacher pulled me aside and told me that I aced the exam!" She shouted, obviously overjoyed at her success. Issei just smiled widely at her, ignoring the glares the two received from the people around them. Let her have her moment.

"I told you didn't I? That you were going to become one of the greatest?" Issei got up from his chair, leaving money for the waiter who had served him. He smiled down at Arianna as she quickly moved to catch up to him.

"So to celebrate, what do you want? My treat." He grinned as she quickly shouted "Gelato!" at him, bouncing up and down, still not over the high of passing.

He led her to a shop a little off the roads, buying a deluxe one with toppings of her choice and a simple chocolate for him. They were together at a table, Issei listening to Arianna tell the story of the exams that had taken place. She was in the middle of regaling him with how she used all five elements when a man approached them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you by chance this girl's instructor?" The one who spoke looked like a stereotypical mage; he looked to be in his 40's, wearing a long brown robe that covered most of his body with the hood drawn back, showing grey eyes that glittered with intelligence. Those eyes were currently trained on Issei.

"Um, who are you?" Issei asked.

Here, the man straightened, showing his full height. "My name is...Tim."

Issei quirked an eyebrow, trying hard not to show his amusement. "You're a magician right?" The man nodded. "And you're name is Tim?" The man nodded again, looking confused.

"Why are you asking?" He asked.

Issei quickly shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. Just made me think is all."

Tim got back on track. "As I was saying, are you this girl's instructor?" He gestured towards Arianna, who didn't stop eating at her gelato during the exchange.

Issei nodded. "Well, you can say that."

The man quirked an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well, I maybe the one that showed her the ropes, but apart from that, it's all her." He told the man, placing a hand on top of Arianna's head. She didn't seem to mind, nuzzling close to it.

"I see. Well, she has shown extraordinary prowess in her field and I've no doubt that her talents will shine through when she becomes a proper mage." Arianna beamed at him, proud of herself for those words.

Issei smiled at her fondly before turning to Tim.

"What's this about anyway? Don't tell me that she's in trouble."

Tim shook his head slowly. "No. I'm asking you because there seems to be a dangerous creature found in the wilderness of Italy."

Issei cocked his head to the side. "And what does that have to do with me?" He was honestly curious why he would tell him something like that.

The magician withdrew a paper sealed with wax and gave it to Issei. He accepted it and used a butter-knife laid on the table to open it.

Issei raised a eyebrow at the message.

Arianna bounced up and down, trying to see what was written there. "Hey, hey! What's it say?" She asked, now ignoring her gelato in order to lean across the table. Issei absently picked up a napkin to dab at her chocolate-covered cheek.

"Hmmm. Is this true?" Issei asked, laying down the scroll to his lap, turning to Tim the magician.

"Yes, unfortunately so."

Issei sighed, before wounding the scroll tightly. He placed it in his pocket. "Then tell your superiors that I'll do what they ask of me. But may I ask one thing?"

Tim nodded, and Issei continued. "Why me?"

This time, Tim smiled mysteriously. "I'm pretty sure that you know as well as I."

Issei just sighed. "Yes, I do. Is there anything else you need?"

Tim shook his head. "No. Well, I must leave. There might be some accidental polymorphing that I have to clear up. Kids these days." He shook his head, leaving the restaurant through the doors, dispelling the magic spell he had cast in order for people to ignore the three people talking in the corner.

"What was that for?" Arianna asked, her dessert now finished off.

"I've been recruited into a monster hunt." Issei said.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei and Arianna walked side by side towards their hotel room. It was dark now, the two of them spending the whole day to celebrate her graduation.

Arianna stole glances at Issei every few minutes, trying to say something. Finally, she found the courage to do so.

"Neh." She said, stopping in the middle of the street.

"Arianna?" Issei asked, turning around to look at her.

"Um. J-John." She stuttered, fidgeting in the street, idly toying with the sleeve of the blouse that Issei bought for her.

"Yes?" Issei prodded, trying to see what she wanted.

"C-can, can I call you fratello**(1)**?" She stared at her feet, trying to hide the blush that was spreading across her face, tapping her feet against the ground.

"Sure." Issei said, completely surprising Arianna. She snapped her head to look at him. "Really? Really, really?" She demanded, running up to him.

"O-of course." Issei said, stepping back in surprise. Why was she getting so worked up over this?

"Fratello." She skipped over to Issei and held his arm close to her, rubbing her head on it.

They walked to the hotel with a new, companionable silence.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei slid his dagger into it's sheath before clipping it around his waist. The hunt that he had been chosen to go to was filled with the best of the best, people that were recognized for their talents and skills, prodigies of their field.

_'So." _Issei thought, picking up another of his knives, inspecting it for any damages. _'Why am I of all people chosen to go?' _Satisfied that it was in peak condition, he slid it into it's own sheath, clipping it at his waist again.

_**[You're being modest partner. You're the best at what you do.]**_ Ddraig tried to console.

_'That isn't really something to be proud of you know.' _He thought dryly. _'No, what I'm saying is they don't really know about me. They don't know my skills, talents, or anything. The only thing that they're sure of is that I thought Arianna.'_

**_[You're going to be a great teac__her one day.]_**

Issei waved off Ddraig's words. _'Not really. I just showed her how to do stuff that she could do by herself. She's a talented kid you know.'_

Ddraig snorted, but kept quiet.

Issei moved to the door.

"Fratello! Why can't I come with you!?" Arianna's said.

Issei turned to see that she was pouting, tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. He sighed and told her. "It's just too dangerous for someone like you to be on a hunt like this."

"But-!"

"No. I don't want you to get hurt. You're still to young to be joining these kinds of things. Even if you are just on the sidelines, the damage could end you any moment." He told her firmly. This was something that he would NOT budge on.

"O-okay."

He smiled at her before turning to leave.

_Hug_

He felt two arms encircle him from behind. Arianna rested her head against his back.

"Fratello. Please come back."

"Of course." The arms slowly left, returning to their place at Arianna's side.

He pushed open the door and went to the meeting place.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei sighed, looking up at the sky. It was now a few minutes past the meeting time and there were quite a bit of people that he recognized as magicians, not counting the two at the top of the nearby building, observing the grounds with magic concealing their presence.

He perked up when a small crowd of magicians, not more than 10, walked through the portal by the side of the clocktower and into the plaza. He picked himself up from the bench, threw away the empty can of coffee he had been drinking and approached the one in the lead, who he recognized as Tim.

"Hey." He raised his arm. Tim nodded at him, before raising his voice. "All you who were chosen to join the expedition, come here!"

The people began to crowd around the plaza, looking to hear what Tim had to say. Issei just kept a little away from them, leaning against a nearby wall, keeping all of them in his line of sight.

"Who are you and why are you here?" A voice spoke up from his right.

Issei replied, not at all surprised by the her sudden arrival. "John Galt. As for why, well, I was just asked to come here to be honest." He looked at her, taking in her appearance. "And who are you?"

"Xenovia." The girl was a girl around Issei's age, waist-length blue hair with a green fringe on the right side and piercing yellow eyes. She was dressed in a black, skin-tight, short-sleeved unitard, fingerless gloves that reached her biceps, and thigh-high boots, all of them adorned with numerous straps that Issei wasn't really sure had any uses. He forced himself not to stare and turn back to the crowd in front. It was harder than he thought. Damn hormones. He swore to himself that he wouldn't turn into a pervert when he was older.

"-the demon that has been terrorizing the town of Sicily for over two weeks now has been properly identified as a basilisk just a few days ago and has been recently sighted in the peaks of Mount Etna. If any of you are unwilling to face the beast, then you are free to leave." Tim paused, and a few of the middle-aged mages muttered among themselves before leaving. The younger ones grinned, full of exubrance, no doubt fantasizing about slaying the beast by themselves. Issei sighed. He hoped that they managed to figure out the dangers of the basilisk by themselves, otherwise, only death awaits them.

Beside him, Xenovia began to talk idly. "A basilisk? That's quite rare. There are few documents that tell of it's apperance. It would be quite a feat to slay one, don't you think?"

Issei, realizing that she was talking to him, responded. "Hmmm. Basilisks are said to be one of the most dangerous creatures in the world for a reason. What little books there re say that they are so venomous that the grass they touch becomes scorched, that they're gaze is lethal, capable of dealing death at a glance." He glanced at the warrior beside him. "Aren't you afraid?"

Xenovia just smiled, shaking her head. "Of course not. The Lord is my shepherd. God watches over His children and leads them to victory. I have no fear for there is nothing to fear."

Issei could only shake his head, awestruck by her devotion, by her belief in her god.

"Okay! Everyone, you are about to face a basilisk, a mythical beast that has slayed hundreds alone in the past weeks. If any of you would like to back out, now would be the time." He paused, letting anyone who wanted to leave do so. When there were none, he continued. "I see. Well, let's go slay a basilisk."

* * *

()()()()()()()()(Present Day)()()()()()()()()()()()()

* * *

The basilisk was big, bigger than Issei expected. It's first appearance caught them by surprise, bursting out the ground and snapping up one of them, and caught the gaze of another, killing the two instantly. The group had managed to regroup, but by then the basilisk had ran away, slinking away deeper in the forest of the mountain.

When Issei managed to see it in full, it wasn't what he was expecting. Without a doubt, it was one of the weirdest things he had ever seen. It's body was a giant-ass rooster with it's wings unfurled, the head of an eagle with a crown-like crest on it's head, huge claws that looked sharped enough to pierce through steel. It's tail was that of a snakes', thick as a tree trunk and with a spade-like tip.

It was big, unsightly, and clumsy, unlike the king of serpents that he had expected.

That was what he had thought before it moved in a blur, crossing the distance of the clearing, snagging a wayward magician, throwing it in the air before devouring it in a bite.

And here he was now, fighting the dangerous creature with his eyes closed, listening to what his instincts were telling him to do.

He sidestepped the claw that had pierced the ground he was in just seconds ago and ran towards where the magicians were, futilely, launching magic at it.

Tim spoke up, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Damn, this thing was more dangerous than I had thought."

The skin of the basilisk proved to be impenetrable by magic, shrugging off most of their spells without even flinching. That left him, Xenovia and two others to provide a distraction for the others to find it's weakness. Three mages had died trying to find it, reducing their numbers to 19 people, and if things didn't pick up, then that number would fall down even more by time the day was over.

Issei didn't respond, narrowing his eyes, staring at the body of the beast. The greatest danger that is posed was it's poison. Apparently, it wasn't only venomous but poisonous as well, leaving puddles of it when it's saliva dripped down. Seems to be the world's way of saying 'Fuck you' to people. And if **THAT **wasn't enough, the story that it could kill with a glance was true as well.

Issei was getting tired of being fucked up by a giant cock. He held the two daggers in his hand, reversing his grip on the left one, and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He tensed, body leaning forward...

And he moved.

Faster than most of the people gathered there could see, he was in front of the basilisk. He crouched and jumped, coming face-to-face with it, eyes still closed. He spun around, becoming a whirlwind of steel.

"CAWW!" The beast roared, shaking with rage and pain as it's eye began to bleed, thoroughly maimed beyond recognition. The basilisk looked around, furiously trying to look for the one that had hurt it. It's remaining eye locked on to Issei, recognizing him as the one who had damaged it.

Issei began to backpedal quickly, not expecting the rage-filled vengeance to be this fast. Just when it was bearing down upon him-

"Duck!" Issei followed the order by reflex, just barely dodging the sword that was thrown from behind him. He followed it's path in the air, cutting an arc through it before sinking hilt-deep into the basilisk's remaining eye.

"CAWWWWWW!" The basilisk reared back, losing it's balance as all vision was abruptly stolen from him.

"NOW!" Issei snapped, and instantly the air was filled with magic, bombarding the struggling rooster with fire, water, earth and air.

The air was filled with dust, the basilisk being hidden by them.

"It's safe." Xenovia announced, approaching the body confidently. She turned to look at the magicians who were hesitantly walking forward to see for themselves. "What are you waiting for? Quick, take a picture. I want this to be in my resume." She crossed her arms, a smirk on her face.

"CAW!" Xenovia's eyes widened, turning around quickly, arms reaching her waist for a sword that wasn't there. She cursed, pushing against the ground, but she was too late. The giant claws of the basilisk was already on top of her, just a few more moments until it came down to crush her. She closed her eyes, strangely at peace, waiting for death to claim her.

_Thud_

When she was, miraculously enough, still alive, she slowly opened her eyes to see Issei, standing on top of the basilisk's head, his foot on top the dagger he had thrown at it's head, sinking it deep until it's brain.

"The Lord works in strange ways don't you say?" He mused out loud, privately amused at her stunned expression. Reaching down, he casually plucked out both his dagger and her sword from it's place in the basilisk's head.

He jumped down, meeting the awestruck faces of the mages that had began to crowd around the body of the basilisk, and threw Xenovia's sword at her.

Tim approached him and whispered. "You killed it. You actually killed a basilisk."

Issei shrugged, an embarrassed expression on his face. "Uh, yeah." He looked at the basilisk, where the magicians were now using magic in order to lift it up. "It was different from what I expected though."

Tim shook his head. "Unbelievable."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Fratello! What happened!" Arianna asked, abandoning her books to go to Issei.

"Nothing much. Just killed a basilisk is all." Issei dropped the books on the table and went to the closet to get some towels and clothes. The clothes he was wearing frankly smelled like chicken, and not the good kind.

"A basilisk!?" Arianna shrieked. She grabbed Issei by the shoulders and threw him on the bed. "Are you hurt? What happened? Did you die!?" Arianna began to ask quickly, looking over Issei to see if he had picked up any wounds.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine." Issei said, picking up the things he had dropped. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go shower." With a huff, Arianna let him go.

When he managed to clean himself up, he saw Arianna had managed to fall asleep on the bed. He smiled before going to the kitchen for something to eat. He opened the fridge and was met with a note.

"'Fratello, this is for you. This is my first time cooking, so I want you to taste it.'" He read outloud. He glanced inside and saw that she had made pasta. Smiling, he took it out of the fridge and began to eat it. It was a little bitter and a little overcooked, but Issei just ate it anyway. This was her first time making food, and it was his obligation as a teacher, nay, as a man to eat food that was prepared by a girl.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei walked out of the hotel, Arianna in tow. She had adamantly decided to stick by Issei's side when they had both woken up. Issei, a little bit tired of the food served by the hotel, had suggested that they find somewhere different to eat.

"What about there?" Issei asked, pointing to a restaurant that WASN'T Italian. It was a simple Japanese stand, with a variety of ramen listed on the menu. Arianna nodded, and ran over to get seats for the two of them. Issei ordered miso ramen for himself while Arianna ordered pork. They were in the middle of their meal when someone came over.

"Am I interrupting something?" Issei laid his spoon down on the table and turned towards the speaker along with his companion.

"Hello Tim and, uh... I haven't got your name?" Issei said apologetically at the hulking man beside Tim. He was at least 7 feet tall, with huge bulging muscles and a shaved head.

"Ah, right. John, this is my accomplice, Atlas." Tim gestured at the man.

"Um, can't he speak?" Issei asked, afraid of offending the man who looked ripped enough to snap him like a toothpick.

Atlas shrugged and Tim spoke up. "Ah, well, my friend here had taken a vow of silence, part of his life as a monk you see."

"I see. Why are you here anyway? Another hunt?" Issei asked.

"No, nothing of that sort. The magicians that were part of the hunt were telling stories of your prowess back then, and they agreed that an act like that requires a suitable token." Tim took out his hands from his sleeves and withdrew the said item.

It was a dagger which looked like it was carved from a single bone. It was long, as long as Issei's whole forearm, with a wicked curved blade. The handle of the blade was fitted with leather straps, just right for his grip. When Issei looked closely, he could see that the edge itself was composed of hundreds of tiny serrated teeth, meant for ripping apart the skin instead of cutting.

Issei's eyes widened as he finally recognized it.

"Is this?" He turned towards Tim, who had a proud look on his face.

"Yes. This dagger was made from the claws of the basilisk itself. We have spent the last two days enchanting it into the weapon it is now. I hope that you will find it fitting."

But Issei shook his head, pushing it towards Tim. "I can't accept this. I only did my job. I only even came to the hunt because you asked me to!"

But Time just pushed it back. "And that is why I am giving it to you. You had no obligation to do what we asked of you, and you did it as well as exceed our expectations. No, it's only right that you take this."

"I, I see."

"Well, if you have no further need for us. Come Atlas." Tim beckoned his companion and left the stand.

"Fratello, are you eating that?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei was travelling town, looking for bookstore, wanting to buy some history books as well as the local folklore. Information is power and all that.

He finally found one and came inside, heading straight for the history section.

"Hello John."

Issei didn't even skip a beat. "Hey Xenovia. I would say 'What a coincidence!' if I didn't know otherwise." He hummed, inspecting the back of the book in his hands, before shrugging and placing it on a bag. He turned and began to look for others to add to his library. Xenovia tch'd, before following him doggedly.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?"

"I would if I wasn't sure that you'll tell me yourself." Issei quirked an eyebrow at the book. 'Italian Folktales by Italo Galvino.' Sounds promising.

Xenovia stopped, embarrassed by her predictability, before forging on.

"I'm here to thank you. For what you did back then I mean."

Issei, for the first time during the conversation, turned towards her. He smiled. "Don't mention it."

But Xenovia persisted, encouraged now that she got his attention. "But I need to thank you, you saved my life! I owe my life to you, and it doesn't feel right for me not to pay it!" During her tirade, Xenovia had began to approach him, forcing Issei to step back against the shelves.

"I was just saving someone that was in trouble. Seriously, it was no trouble." Issei was now getting uncomfortable at her closeness to him. He could even _smell_ her, a combination of steel, leather and strangely enough for a warrior, vanilla.

Issei slid from his place between the girl and the shelves to walk over to the counter, placing his back against Xenovia. Dangerous.

He waved his arm at Xenovia.

"Goodbye Xenovia. I have a feeling we're going to meet each other sometime in the future."

With his bag of books in hand, Issei left the bookstore, leaving a contemplating Xenovia behind, staring at his back thoughtfully.

"Hmm, you're a very interesting man. But debts must be repaid."

Xenovia shook her head. Now was not the time for that. She was supposed to meet what was going to be her new partner today. A Japanese girl coming in from England. Irene or something.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei and Arianna sat at the table of their hotel room, both of them eating in silence. At the background, the television set reported something about the weather or something. Finally, Issei set down his utensils.

"Arianna." He began quietly. This was probably going to be a sensitive topic. "I'm leaving." He set his eyes low, not willing to meet Arianna's gaze, afraid of what he might find there. Hate? Shock? Anger? or worse, heart-crushing depression.

"W-why?" The hurt in her voice was downright heartbreaking. "Why are you leaving?"

Issei tried to speak up, but found that his voice suddenly abondoned him.

Arianna lunged across the table, taking a fistful of Issei's clothes."I-is it something that I did? I'm sorry! I-I'll do better I promise! I'll be whatever you want!"

Issei finally spoke gently. "It's not you. I, it's just, I have somewhere that I need to be. Places too dangerous for you."

Arianna spoke up, desperately, despairingly. "I don't care! Take me with you! Please, just please, don't leave me alone." The last part was said quietly, any hope left in her just disappearing.

Issei simply watched her, no expression seen at his face. Gently, he pried Arianna's hands from his shirt. Arianna's body began to shake, tears running down her cheek.

Issei reached out to touch her cheek but she slapped it away. "I hate you." Her voice was soft that Issei nearly didn't catch it. Then louder this time. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"

She got up from the bed and ran towards the door, her head down. She slammed it open, before disappearing around the corner.

Issei just watched her go. When she was gone and he was sure that she's not coming back, he fell against the bed.

He hated himself for keeping her hopes up, he hated himself for making a young girl into a mess, but most of all, he hated himself for not even shedding a tear for what he had done.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei sighed, making sure that all his bags were set. Well, only one, considering that it was enchanted to connect to another space. He went to the front desk and checked out of the hotel.

A few minutes later, he was now outside, sitting on a bench.

Dammit, what things could he have done differently?

"Fratello."

Could he have taken her with him, recklessly endangering her life? Hell no, he would not let a girl as young as her to get tied up with his problems.

"Fratello."

Should he have made sure that she was taken care of properly, under a competent guardian? Yes he should have.

"Fratello."

In fact, it's not too late. He would miss his flight, but at this point, he didn't care. He had taken the girl under his wing and damned if he didn't make sure that she was alright.

"Fratello!"

Issei slapped his cheeks, mind made up. He would make sure that she was alright, even if she did hate him.

"FRATELLO!" A sudden slap spun him around, sending him reeling back to his seat.

"Arianna, that hurt! That was the first time you ever hit me!" Issei rubbed his cheeks. It was no doubt going to-

His mind screeched to a stop. Arianna? He took a double take, checking to see if it really was Arianna.

Yep. It was her alright. She was still wearing that black long-sleeve blouse along with the pants that he had bought for her all those weeks ago. But he saw that she had changed, no matter how subtle it may be. Her eyes, which used to be uncertain and pained, was now livelier, more... experienced if Issei were to describe it.

"ARIANNA!" Overcome with emotion, Issei swept her in a hug, spinning around in place.

"F-fratello! Put me down!" A _very _red-faced Arianna demanded, squirming against his hold.

"No! I'm sorry! I should have known better! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'M SORRY!" Issei sobbed out, attracting a lot of weirded out looks from the people in the streets.

It took another slap to get Issei to put her down.

Issei was the first to speak. "Listen Arianna, I'm-"

"I understand." Arianna interrupted. "I get it, I do."

Issei stared at her. "Do you?"

"Yes, I really do."

The two sat in silence.

"Hey fratello." Arianna spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Do, do you think that I'll be a master in the future?"

Issei closed his eyes, breathing out his nose. "Of course I do. I told you didn't I? I'm sure that you'll surpass everybody's expectations, even mine."

"I see. Then, if-if I become a master, then will you let me come with you?"

Issei turned to her, honestly surprised by her request. But seeing her, her face set in a grim line of determination, he knew that she would do it. "Yes, of course."

The atmosphere descended into silence again.

"Then, this is goodbye... right?" Arianna asked softly.

Issei smiled. "Of course not. It's only goodbye if we'll never see each other again. I'm pretty sure that I'll see you again. Do you?"

Arianna sat for a moment before nodding. "Yes, yes we will."

"That reminds me!" Issei shrugged of his bag and placed it on the bench, beginning to rifle through his things.

"Aha! Here it is!" He took out a case triumphantly. Turning to Arianna, Issei handed it to her.

"What's this?" She asked, looking at the case with a puzzled expression.

"It's a gift! Open it!" Issei beamed, moving over to stand at her side.

Arianna did as he asked, releasing the two clasps of the case.

"A notebook and a pen." She said dryly, holding up the first thing she saw.

"Yes, but it's not only that. Look." Issei took something from his bag and held up another notebook, identical to the one in her hand. He opened it and began to write on it with it's own pen. "See, if you write on this one, then the other shows what you wrote there." He explained.

Eyes wide, Arianna quickly opened hers to see if what he said was true. On the first page, the words 'Hi Arianna!' was written.

"See? Even if we won't see each other for a long time, then we can still communicate. It's a neat idea actua-"

Arianna cut him off by throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you. Thank you for everything fratello."

Issei smiled, returning her hug.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A cleaner began to sweep the room that had been booked by one 'John Galt.' It was surprisingly neat for a room that was rented by single boy. No trash, no misplaced things, and no signs that a prostitute had come over.

He sighed as he went on his knees to check under the bed. He paused as he felt something. He grabbed it and looked at the cover.

"Playboy magazine." His eyes widened. He looked left and right. Sure that no one had seen, he hid it in his coat and began to clean with a new energy. This made the day so worth it.

* * *

**(1) Fratello means brother in Italian, but I'm pretty sure most of you got it.**

**A.N.**

**A little under 10,000 words. This is the single longest chapter of any story I have ever posted so far. And the ironic thing is, it came along much easier than chapter 9 of Past's Best Forgotten. Don't really know why. Probably because, like I said countless times before (probably annoying some of you because of my repetitiveness) I can't really do fighting scenes that well, and Chapter 9 is, well, nearly half it's length is that. I've written just 3,000 words of it. **

**Welp, this is also the first time I made an OC, Arianna Bianchi. She's Italian, just in case you didn't get that. I want to know what you think of her. Like her? Hate her? Indifferent? Please tell your opinions about her, a newbie writer like me would appreciate some feedback about their works.**

**Also, for those who got the references, good job! Some are subtle (I hope) and some are plain to see( I think). I really liked placing those in my story. For those who didn't, well, good luck next time I guess.**

**I know that some of you may be disappointed that I updated this instead of my main story, but please, bear with me. Like I said, I'm still in High School, lots of assignments, projects, college forms to fill out, so I haven't really got all the free time in the world. I only write this on my spare time (Thank God that my school decided to cast out the idea of homeworks. Gives us students more free time.) which, thanks to my anti-social friends, is quite a lot actually. We just mainly chat through the internet or text. And why am I writing my life story here? Probably because it helps calm me down.**

**For those who hate OC's well, sorry I guess. Arianna isn't exactly going to impact canon plot all that much. In fact, most of what's written here isn't going to show up in canon, aside from the odd reference or two. **

**I'm going to stick with most canon(DxDverse) events with unique twists of my own. **


	3. A laptop and two sibling's awe

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or its characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

**Chapter 2: Akihabara.**

Issei grinned as he finally stepped out the train and into the station.

No matter how much he traveled, no matter how many places he went to, Japan always held a special place in his heart.

The culture, the landmarks, hell, even the people there. So many things to do.

Of course, his favorite place so far was Akihabara, the go-to place when looking for electronics, cafes and of course, anime.

So here he was now, looking over each and every one of the stores displayed. He had already been there twice, which was quite a shame actually. Maybe next time he could go to some of the more traditional places of the country, such as Kyoto or maybe Hokkaido. Eh, he'll worry about that later, for now, he had some things to buy.

He stopped in front of an electronics store. "PSP Vita now for sale." He read aloud. He shrugged. Hey, he had money, might as well use it. It wasn't like he had anyone to leave it to after he dies.

He left the shop an hour and a half later, not only carrying the bag that hold his new console but also a variety of different games.

Issei grinned. Now he finally had something to do whenever he rode the planes, the trains and the buses. He only hoped that the next bus he rode on didn't have terrorists riding it. Bastard cost him his Gameboy. He was already on the Elite Four dammit!

His thoughts stopped when he felt something off.

Magic.

He instantly turned around, eyes scanning the crowd of people, hoping to pick out the one who did it.

Dammit, if the person was malicious, then it could cause quite a few deaths as well as tons of destruction.

He finally saw them, or more accurately, it.

**It** was a large green oblong, floating innocently in the air. The people were avoiding it, something in their subconscious acknowledging it as unnatural and forcing them to stay away from it.

All but one person.

He was a regular looking fellow, dressed in a blue and white jacket, blue eyes and was holding a laptop under his arm. He was staring at the portal, hypnotized, arms raised as he stepped forward, getting closer and closer.

"Oi." Issei tried to warn him off, but he didn't seem to hear him. If anything, he seemed to move even faster.

"That's dangerous!" Issei shoved past the crowd and moved to him.

Issei bumped into a woman, making them both fall down.

"Sorry!" Issei apologized profusely, standing up to look for the boy.

He was gone, the computer sitting down in the ground. There was no trace of him anywhere.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Issei was walking without a particular direction in mind, frowning at the laptop he held in his hand.

A little stamp on the top of it's cover read 'Hiraga Saito,' presumably the one who disappeared through the portal or whatever it was.

He sighed, putting it on his backpack.

If Issei somehow him met him again, then he had a computer to give back.

For now though, it was his to use.

He only hoped that it wasn't password protected. And that there was no porn in there. And that he didn't keep his online profiles logged in.

He sighed. He didn't even open it yet and he was already feeling guilty.

Ah well, nothing a good cup of coffee couldn't fix.

He was just about halfway to his favorite cafe (with maids!) when he noticed something weird.

There were two people smack dab in the middle of the street, clutching each other like a lifeline, shaking like leaves as they stared around at the people with pale faces.

The older one was a teenage boy, probably 16 or 17 and was wearing a yellow shirt that read 'I love humanity'. He was tall yet thin, as if he wasn't quite eating right and bleached white, like he wasn't used to going outside. He had spiky black hair, red eyes with thick bags underneath them and a terrified expression on his face as he clutched at his companion.

The girl he was holding looked quite young, possibly eight or nine. She was very pale, with long white hair and, strangely enough, golden-red eyes. She was also wearing what looked to be a sailor uniform from a school that Issei had never seen before. It barely clung to her body, slipping off a little at her shoulders. Like her companion, she was also scared stiff, blubbering incoherently to him.

Issei now had two choices.

One, he could leave them alone like everyone else and go on with his life, ignoring two paralyzed people to their devices.

Or two, he could go over to them, ask them what was wrong, and help them up.

Issei sighed, already knowing his answer.

He went over to the two.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

The two of them simply stared not quite at him, their eyes unfocused.

Finally, after quite a bit of stuttering, the older boy spoke up. "W-wh-what?"

"I asked you if you're alright." He repeated slowly.

"H-h-h-how can we be alright with this many p-p-people here?"

Issei looked around at the crowd of people going about their business. Sure, there were quite a lot of people, but not more than some of the cities in Japan.

He looked over at the two again, shivering in fear, clutching at each other and barely even able to function.

Wow, this was the worst case of Agorophobia**(1)** he had ever seen.

He made up his mind. "Hey, would you two like to go with me? I know a place where you can relax." He offered.

The two of them nodded vigorously.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"AH! That's better!" The boy, Sora he had introduced himself, said as they finally got to a cozy little cafe a little off from the streets.

Issei wasn't sure, but he personally thought that the place catered to the supernatural, hence the rather small amount of people going in. Still, it had a great selection of food and drinks and the cheesecake was to die for. Whenever Issei was in the general area (by which he means whenever he goes to Japan) he always made sure to stop by the place.

"Why did you even help us in the first place?" Sora asked, a shrewd glint entering his eye as he stared at Issei.

Issei smiled. It seems that when he wasn't distracted by fear, Sora was actually a sharp-witted and observant guy.

"Nothing, I just thought that you guys needed help is all." Issei said nonchalantly as he held up his hand to call over a waitress.

"I'll have a coffee, a cheescake, and what do you two want?"

Sora blinked in surprise. "Oh no, that's not-"

"Nii." The girl interrupted. She was sitting beside him and was pointing at an item in the menu. "I want cake."

"Shiro, are you sure?" Sora said, expression softening as he beheld his little sister. At least, Issei hoped that she was his sister. He decided that that was better left alone for now.

"Mm." Shiro nodded, burying herself closer to Sora's side.

"Fine. Then a coffee for me and a cheesecake for Shiro." The waitress, who was wearing a maid costume, quickly wrote down their orders and went to the counter.

Issei simply observed them, looking at their expressions as they held each other.

"Are you siblings?" Ah crap. He let his mouth go off about something that was quite rude under the circumstances.

"Oh? Ah! No, we're stepsiblings actually. Shiro's mother married my father and that's when we met each other." Sora smiled wistfully, remembering something from the past.

_**[I think he has a sister complex.]**_

_'Shut up Ddraig. That's horribly inappropriate. Beside, is it even a sister complex if you're not blood related?'_

_**[Of course it is! Sister complex is based on how you see the girl and not by blood! To suggest otherwise is just wrong.]**  
_

_'But if you're not blood related then that would ruin the point of siscons anyway! The allure of it is the tabooness of it. Knowing that you both love each other and yet hide it from society! That's what a sister complex is about!'_

_**[Your way of thinking is delusional! Siscons are everywhere and not just in families! The way you see each other is much, much more important than anything else!]**_

_'Do you even hear yourself!? No what's wrong is-'_

"Your order is here." The waitress came over, carrying their food on top of a plate.

"Ah thanks." Issei coughed in embarrassment, thanking the gods that no one had the ability to hear his thoughts. If he did, then he'd probably run from the place and never come back.

He took his coffee, watching from the rim as Sora did the same.

He narrowed his eyes in interest.

Sora was watching back. His eyes were running across his body, taking in every motion, every twitch, hoping to pick up something from Issei.

Issei smiled. He was good.

Time to test him.

"Sora, do you want to play a game?"

He rose an eyebrow. "Oh? What game is it?"

Issei put his hand into the bag and pulled out an unopened deck of cards. "Poker."

"Now I'm interested." Sora leaned forward. Beside him, Shiro was humming a tune, picking at her cheesecake as she stared at the two. "What are the stakes?"

"Do we really have to do that? Can't we just have a friendly game between two people who just met?"

"Ah, but Poker is all about bets isn't it? To not put one ruins the appeal of it."

Like he thought, a shrewd and calculating man. He liked him.

"How about information? We tell each other three pieces of information about ourselves and the other gets to guess which is correct. I'll throw in my new game system for the winner." Issei offered. He could almost see the thoughts running through Sora's head.

"Hm, then I'll offer everything that the two of us have right now."

Issei almost laughed outloud at that. If you can't hide in anonymity, then take refuge in audacity. He was starting to really like him.

His mouth twitched into a smile. "Deal."

The two of them began their game, each winning and each losing.

Issei found out that Sora was both a NEET and a shut-in, dedicated to playing games. Still, for all his apparent laziness, Issei determined a mind as quick as a whip and as sharp as a blade.

Issei had to give away the fact that he had no family and was currently travelling the world to see the sights it had to offer.

"I'm an assassin raised from birth to be the perfect weapon. I'm half dragon and am fated to fight my rival in an unavoidable conflict that will kill one of us. I'm currently dying and is just generally doing fun things before I kick the bucket." Issei laid down as Sora won the round with a straight flush. They were currently tied, 2-2.

"That's a rather obvious one." Sora said, picking up the cards to shuffle the cards. Issei picked up on how he managed to arrange it so that Sora would win the next round.

Issei simply smiled enigmatically.

"Fine you win." Issei said, laying down the cards face down and standing up to stretch his legs.

"Really? That's it?" Sora asked, a note of disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah." He took the bag beside him and handed it over.

"I can't accept this." Sora asked.

"Why not?" Issei was honestly curious. He never took Sora for the type to give back things that was given to him. He assumed him to be the type that took whatever was offered.

"Because I still haven't won." Sora said bluntly.

"Hm? Then think of it as a gift. Besides, I took all your time from Akihabara, the least I can do is give you something that will make the trip worth it."

Issei raised his hands in farewell as he left the money for the food and drinks, backpack containing his new laptop slung over a shoulder.

Sora clutched the bag in his hands as he stared at his retreating form.

He let the cards in his hands, an Ace, a 2, a 3, a 4 and a 5 of hearts drop to the table.

"The game was so worth it." He reached over and flipped Issei's cards over.

An Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack and a 10 of spades greeted him, all sitting innocently at the table.

"I would have lost the game if he continued huh?"

Sora asked a disbelieving Shiro.

"Kuuhaku never loses." She protested weakly but not able to deny the cards staring up at them.

"Huh, it looks like just once, someone did manage to beat us."

* * *

**A.N.**

**(1) Agorophobia: The fear of crowds.**

**Well, this was a rather unoriginal chapter.**

**It basically consisted of a cameo appearance between two completely unrelated anime in what has to be the biggest coincidence ever. Still, I wanted to write this in.**

**Sora and Shiro were both a bitch to write. I still haven't taken in their full personality yet. Eh, if anyone asks, the reason they're like this is because they're younger than their other counterparts.**

**No, Issei has not magically become a genius with an IQ of over 200. Issei simply has a lot more experience in picking up subtle signals in a person's body. Comes with the package of being a...**

**Review and tell me what you think okay?**


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